Disease and Culture

Catalog description

This course addresses the question of what constitutes a disease from the perspectives of science and the humanities. Topics include the origins of disease and the effect that disease has had on political events, art and culture, warfare, and the economy of societies both historically and in today's world, and how societies throughout time have attempted, either successfully or unsuccessfully, to address the problem of disease. Students explore the cultural interpretations given to various diseases. Through the examination and analysis of various medical case studies, historical readings and literary pieces, students learn to think critically about how disease has helped to shape the world that we live in and what disease means to them.